79 years of summer camp FUN! Join the most loved, traditional overnight camp in Northern Ontario in our 2, 3, 4, 5, & 7 week programs. Over 35 land & water activities. Canoe trips from 2-14 days. Campers from around the world, ages 7-17. 125 campers per session. Highly trained and vetted staff.
Camp Bil-O-Wood offers a long, rich history of tradition, adventure, friendship and spirit that goes beyond the time spent at camp. With an 80% return rate, our campers are our family. Our wilderness canoeing program keeps campers returning for the next level and the next adventure. We teach self-reliance, resiliency, independence and confidence through skill-building and outdoor exploration.
Choose the right programs and sessions for your child; Camp Bil-O-Wood currently has 1 program available.
Wilderness Out-tripping|Wilderness Skills|Piano|Songwriting|String|Vocal Training / Singing|Arts & Crafts|Mixed Media|Painting|Papier-mache|Pottery|Strength and Conditioning|Yoga|Archery|Badminton |Baseball/Softball|Basketball|Dodgeball|Flag Football|Gaga|Lacrosse|Soccer|Tennis|Volleyball|Football|Gymnastics|Hiking|Canoeing|Sailing/Marine Skills|Stand Up Paddle Boarding|Swimming|Tubing|Water Polo|Waterskiing/Wakeboarding
Registration Details
Early registration begins in the middle of August. Registrations may be changed or cancelled until April 15th. Families may apply for financial aid through our non-profit scholarship program: The Allen Bass Fund
Tradition is important. It provides a window onto a wider world, and a chance to tap into something larger than ourselves. That kind of tradition provides a basis for the offering at Bil-O-Wood. Founded in 1946 and run by four generations of the same family, it remains consistent with its roots, offering a chance to really engage with the foundation of camping in Canada. Kids perhaps don't really care, at least not in an intellectual way, and that's fine. What they do appreciate, whether or not they express it, is the opportunity to step outside the bustle of their lives, to spend a bit of time in nature, and to live for a time through a different set of priorities. For many families, that, very rightly, is what camp is all about.
I just think that Camp Bil-O-Wood has such wholesome values, and it's allowing kids to have the freedom to explore their world and their natural environment and take risks with a great deal of support around them from staff members and counselors so that they can find out what they're passionate about. Maybe they fall down, and something doesn't go well, and they're supported to be resilient and work through hard things, whether it's on a canoe trip, which I highly value that experience for my children, or whether it's in the cabin when they're sweeping or cleaning up and navigating a conflict.
How did you know this was the right fit?
I just think that Camp Billiowood has such wholesome values, and it's allowing kids to have the freedom to explore their world and their natural environment and take risks with a great deal of support around them from staff members and counselors so that they can find out what they're passionate about. Or maybe they fall down, and something doesn't go well and they're supported to be resilient and work through hard things, whether it's on a canoe trip, which I highly value that experience for my children, or whether it's in the cabin when they're sweeping or cleaning up and navigating a conflict.
What’s unique about the camp?
Camp Bil-O-Wood is in the heart of the Canadian wilderness and it's expansive and basically untouched and I think that that makes it so incredibly special. For campers to be able to take a hike and do an overnight canoe trip or take some canoes a couple hours away, go on a trip on a river and a few lakes, and not experience potentially another person is incredibly valuable to me. As well as the togetherness of campers from ages 7 to 17. So you're going to see 17-year-olds getting to know an eight-year-old and asking about how their day is going or being a friend to them if they're navigating feeling homesick that day. Younger campers are having such a wonderful model of an older camper or a counselor, and that kind of intergenerational approach is a really unique thing in today's world.
Was there any personal growth you saw in your child?
I've seen my children's confidence continue to move up and continue to be able to navigate many things that come their way as teens and as they're moving into adulthood. I have two children at camp and they've been there for somewhere around six years now. They choose to go back year after year, even though some of the time they might have a couple of days at the beginning where they're navigating homesickness or they encounter a challenge on a canoe trip or a conflict in the cabin. The overarching theme is we believe in you and I know that you can work through this hard thing and we're here to support you in doing that. As they're moving into adulthood, they're exploring how to pursue a passion and how to be persistent through something that's challenging so that they can reach a greater goal.
How can parents overcome hesitancy to send their children away overnight?
One of the really special things about Camp Bil-O-Wood is that the families who send their kids are really invested in having them specifically go to experience Bil-O-Wood. It's a storied place that's been around for a long time. There's a beautiful support structure between parents who have already sent campers and new parents in different communities throughout the country and even the world. I think it's a really helpful thing for parents to be able to call up the directors, Paul and Tricia, and say, hey, can I talk through this? I'm worried about this for my kid, or how can I get some support in this way? Or is there someone else that I could also talk with so that I'm able to navigate through my hesitancies? It's just a wonderful community that really helps to bring a level of security to parents who are thinking, I'm sending my child to a different country and it might be far away from home and how's that going to work out?
What would you tell other parents about the overall value of sending kids here?
I truly do believe that it is the best parenting decision that I could have ever made. A good friend of mine, a parent of two teen young adults at this point, turned to me a couple of summers ago at the end of camp and she said, Lindsay, Camp Bil-O-Wood is the best parenting decision that I've ever made. That resonated with me and put words into my mouth for exactly what I feel about Bil-O-Wood as well. I continue to encourage my kids to stay connected and to pursue being at camp because I think it's such a valuable piece of their lives. Every time they've chosen to go back, they have not once regretted a moment of being there. My son, who is now an 11th grader, said to me in the car, Mom, this summer it just made me really think about reevaluating some of my friendships back home and really kind of thinking about the decisions I'm making and what's really important to me. To me, that's a mature, valuable conversation.
What does your child say?
My children truly do know that that's the place that they want to be in the summers. They're choosing to be away from friends and activities that are happening here at home, at least for a portion of the summer. Whether a child chooses to go with their parents for two weeks or stay for seven, they are missing out on some things back home. Every year as we get closer to camp approaching, they start to get really excited to see their friends at Camp Bil-O-Wood again, because those campers go back year after year, and their families are part of it year after year. They end up having almost this feeling of a second home with a great deal of support. If you're thinking about sending your child to Camp Bil-O-Wood, I would highly encourage you to pursue it. Even if you decide that you want to take a year or two, or your child is not even of age to be a camper yet, having those conversations now, talking to other families, reaching out to Paul and Tricia, reaching out to a parent, it's worth doing. Because you will experience such a valuable life change for your child.
This camp is well worth it and in the words of another parent friend, “the best parenting decision I’ve made.” I truly resonate with this and attribute my children’s well-roundedness, resilien...
Transcript of our interview with Trisha, Camp Director
Who are you and whom do you represent?
My name is Trisha Ludwig, and I represent Camp Bil-O-Wood. I am married to Paul Ludwig, and together he and I have been running Camp Bil-O-Wood since the early 2000s. Camp Bil-O-Wood is a fourth-generation family-owned summer camp in Northern Ontario. It was started in 1946. It was founded by my husband's great-grandfather and grandfather, then run for many years by his grandfather and then his father, and now by the two of us.
What is unique about Camp Bil-O-Wood?
One, I think our location. Being far north in Northern Ontario, we have access to an incredible vast array of lakes and rivers that are really untouched and very pure. We are also a smaller camp, with only 125 campers per session and six different sessions, but only 125 kids at a time. Our camper-to-counselor ratio is very good, and it's small enough that we ourselves as the camp directors, can really know each child and their individual needs. No child is going to get forgotten about at Camp Bil-O-Wood or shuffled through, which can sometimes happen in larger camps. We really connect with our kids and know their families, and many of our campers are alumni children with a long legacy of families, while others are brand new and come from other countries around the world. We represent at least eight countries every summer, primarily North America, with campers and staff from places such as Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, and countries in South America.
Our location has also allowed us to have a very extensive outdoor camping and canoeing wilderness program. A major part of our camp experience, which is optional but central for many kids, is a progressive sequence of canoe trips. Campers build upon their experience and skill, starting with two-night trips of 10 or 15 miles when they're age seven and progressing all the way up to 400-mile, two-week canoe trips by the time they're 15 or 16 years old.
What type of child is successful at your camp?
I think all children are successful at our camp. Our campers range from age seven to 17, and we have kids who really want to be there and kids who are a little timid at first. We have shy kids, sporty kids, outgoing kids, and artsy kids. We're very traditional and broad in our programming. Our camping and canoeing program is pretty specialized, but otherwise we're not a sports-specific or art-specific camp. The child who is looking to have a unique summer experience away from home, make new friends, and enjoy the outdoors will do well at Camp Bil-O-Wood.
How do your staff deal with behavioural issues?
Because we're smaller, if there is a behavioral issue, it doesn't go unnoticed for very long. As soon as something comes up, the counselor is right on top of it and usually brings it to a higher level, often involving the camp directors, Paul or myself, at some point. We talk to the child and their counselors so everybody knows what's going on. We make a plan for how to change or eliminate the behavior. It's rarely an ongoing problem, and I can probably count on one hand in all the years that we've been running camp that we've ever had to dismiss a child from camp.
What do campers value most about their experience at the camp?
I think the memories and the traditions. Because we have such a long history, we have very deep-rooted traditions. We also have a very unique program where children can work toward achieving a high-level accomplishment called the Voyager organization. It's a leadership and peak experience at Camp Bil-O-Wood, and it's a high honor there. Children get very excited about it from a young age and aspire to achieve it. But mostly it's their friends and the memories that they make there.
What message do you have for new campers?
They will not regret their choice to come have a great summer camp experience at Camp Bil-O-Wood. They will meet so many new friends and have so many new experiences. Going away to summer camp is not always easy and comes with challenges, and homesickness is a super normal part of it. Living in a community setting is challenging at first. In the end, they leave excited to return and with a profound sense of accomplishment and great memories. About 85% of our campers return each year, and even those who don't return usually look back on the experience as being one of their best memories of their life.
Hello. We are Paul and Trisha Ludwig, the 3rd generation of Camp directors and owners of Camp Bil-O-Wood. Together, we have over 50 years of summer camp experience. We choose to spend our summers here because we believe summer camp offers something that the real world does not.
The number one question we get from parents is why summer camp for my child? The simplest answer to that question is: the summer camp experience is something that cannot be duplicated at home.
Camp Bil-O-Wood teaches life skills such as self-concept, independence and interdependence. The community living environment, away from home, allows for a unique experience where children can grow and develop under their own direction and amongst their peers.
Because, at camp, we live together with people of all ages from young children to young adults, we learn to be both leaders and followers. We learn to rely on our own decision-making abilities and decide which actions help us to become the people we want to become. As the parents of three young children ourselves, we know that kids grow and develop leaps and bounds when they are surrounded by the positive influence of their peers.
At Camp Bil-O-Wood, we carefully design our program and choose our staff to support the healthy, positive, and upward growth of our campers. We do this by offering a variety of programs such as athletics, aquatics, the arts, and wilderness exploration, but most importantly through encouraging laughter, fun, and friendship.
If you ask any of our campers why they return year after year, they will tell you it is because of their friends. In no other place, can our kids spend day after day experiencing the joys of life amongst their friends. It is this incredibly safe and supportive environment that makes camp the unique experience that cannot be duplicated anywhere else.
And this is why we believe the Bil-O-Wood experience is right for children.
Staff and Counsellors
Our staff are 75% alumni and 25% from reputable camp staffing agencies. They are highly vetted through a rigorous selection process. Camper staff ratio is 3:1. All staff are life-guard and first aid certified. Upper staff are 25 years or older. Counselors must have a minimum of one year of college experience.
When I stepped off the bus at Camp Bil-O-Wood in 1995 I was an athletic and energetic young boy unsure of his decision to spend the summer away from home. As eager as I was to start the season I lacked some confidence and social skills that many kids are wanting of early in life. The first weeks were tough but Uncle Carl Wahl’s leadership and the new friendships I formed in my cabin had me hooked for summers to come. The confidence and socialization I experienced at Bil-O-Wood were unmatched by any other environment at home. I built life long friendships and, more importantly, I learned how to thrive in a team environment. The canoe trips and wilderness experiences offered at camp taught commitment, selflessness, social skills, and mental toughness.
When I entered the service in 2010 I began a rigorous curriculum of training, which lasted almost two years. Attending US Army Ranger School and Airborne School, among others, it became apparent to me how much summer camp had profoundly influenced my leadership potential. Traits such as integrity, communication, fortitude, selflessness, and creativity were immediately more accessible because of the experiences at Bil-O-Wood that shaped my development. The lessons and adventures that broadened my horizons at camp helped prepare me to lead others in much more severe situations. In November of 2012 I deployed to Eastern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a Platoon Leader. Now, as a Captain, I continue to lead Soldiers and shoulder greater responsibilities. Not a day goes by that I don’t reflect fondly on my summers at Bil-O-Wood. Camp was where I was given the opportunity to experience the outdoors, build relationships with a diverse group people, and realize my full potential.
Uncle Sy Spinelli is currently serving as a Captain in the United States Army Infantry in the 101st Airborne Division. He lives outside Nashville, Tennessee with his wife Aunt Alisa (Wilcox) Spinelli and their dog Tucker. They are expecting their first child, a baby boy, towards the end of March.
From an innocent and happy six year old boy to an independent, self-confident, decisive and caring 17 year old young man... The values of Bil-O-wood go beyond words. It is the best gift and experience I could have given David, my son. The life-long friendships, communication skills and the personal growth that have been a result of David's 12 years as part of the Bil-O-Wood family. The pride he exemplifies as he talks about the tripping adventures he has participated in, and the tripping skills he has developed (he loves to compare his achievements to his uncles , my brothers, who are also previous Bil-O-Wood campers) further displays the strength he has gained as he grows into a strong young adult. He is so happy as talks all winter about returning each summer to camp and maintains friendships with fellow campers over the winters, even states away from each other. The Bil-O-Wood friends, families and memories will be a part of David's life forever and has helped him become the wonderful, hard working, compassionate son I am so proud of. Thank you Bil-O-Wood and Ludwigs for your commitment to our kids!!! Kathryn Zagel (David Huggins)
I spent 17 years as a camper and counselor at camp Bil-O-Wood, and now my children are beginning their experience as young BOW campers. I firmly believe there is no better place for them to spend their developing years then enjoying what Bil-O-Wood has to offer. I would recommend this camp to anyone who wants their children to build confidence, foster friendships, and learn how to be comfortable in the outdoors. The family oriented atmosphere and spirited energy that pervades the camp is uplifting in every way. I am so grateful for the dedication of the Bil-O-Wood family now and into the future. Your child is sure to have a successful, happy experience at camp Bil-O-Wood!
Camp Bil-O-Wood is a family owned camp that is slowly being passed from generation to generation. Because of this unique ownership, the camp is run with loads of commitment and enthusiasm. Some of my childhood memories from Bil-O-Wood are: camping in the Canadian wilderness under the beautiful star-filled sky, canoeing crystal clear lakes and white-water rivers, playing all camp activities on Sunday afternoons like Capture The Flag, waterskiing, Saturday night themed dances, playing and developing my skills in a huge variety of sports, and unbelievable friendships that are still strong today. But now, as an adult, and a Parent of a Bil-O-Wood camper, I realize the values and life-long lessons that Bil-O Wood provides. The camp includes everything children love, and so much more. Children learn to grow and gain self esteem, make their own decisions and become independent. They also have endless opportunities to become engaged in group activities that enhance the skills of working as a team and developing leadership qualities. I highly recommend Camp Bil-O-Wood and want to thank the Ludwig family for their traditions and dedication. Sincerely, Michele R.
My children have been at Bil-o-Wood for 6 years now and it was the best thing my husband and I could have done for them. The experiences they have there is forever memorable and lasting. The friendships they have made with other campers will be with them forever. The whole atmosphere at camp is like one big family. I can't say enough about the owners, the counselors and everyone that runs Bil-O-Wood. My son has experienced canoe tripping at a whole new level. He has seen things in the wilderness that only 1% of what most children will see in a life time. I do recommend this camp to everyone I talk to. Thank you Camp Bil-O-Wood for giving my children a wonderful experience. Karen Aldridge Drummond Island, MI
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